Trip to Maui

Maui was wonderful, we spent 5 days in Napili (north of Lahaina) and 3 days in Kihei (both are on the west side of the island).

We swam with turtles in Kapalua Bay, played in the waves at Napili Bay, took hula lessons in Lahaina, toured the Maui Plantation, went to the top of Haleakela, visited the Aquarium, enjoyed a Luau and attempted to eat Paleo more often than not (ok, buying that Red Velvet cake at Costco didn't help matters...um...and there was that giant brownie sundae you might notice pics of too).

The girls stole the show at the luau, where they hula'ed their hearts out up on stage, wore flower crowns and Anya ate a fish eyeball on a dare.

Click here for the photos

Naming His Gifts: Week of Feb 13

New photos up at Flickr from the last three months.

• December 2010
• January 2011
• February 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abba, these gifts are more than I would have asked for! Thank you!

Naming His Gifts

A mother’s heart can often be a ready place for fear to take hold. How do we wisely plan for the future without falling into a trap of worry? How can I prepare to have my family clothed warmly through the storms and yet trust my Abba Father to provide my every need?

James 1:17. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

I’m not going to reject the current blessings of safety, security and plenty He has provided for us at this point in time. I do want to be ready for the future – while remembering that the gifts He gives us will always be found, even if the worst happens and the world as we know it crumbles around us. His goodness does not change, though our circumstances might.

It’s important to develop the vision to see His gifts now, so we can also see them when they aren’t as apparent. So to practice noticing His gifts, I am going to start naming ten of them on a weekly basis. I’m trying to learn to focus not so much on the material, but on the relationships, kindness, compassion and just plain fun of life.

The girls and I took a "Gratefulness Walk" today and took photos, and then looked through some other photos from the week. We worked together to pick out 10 things we were grateful for. We had a lot of fun, I think this will be a new weekly activity!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amen! Thank you for these gifts Abba!

I am only one...

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything­, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." ~ Edward Everett Hale

Sean and I have been struggling to figure out how to bless others through the blessings our Abba has given us. We feel He is calling us to help with orphans - what that means, we aren't sure in the long run. There is an overwhelming need in the world, and it's hard to know where to being or what one family can even really do.We know in the short term in means doing what we can to help others bring home orphans to their forever families.

Here are two local families called to the front of the adoption lines:

The Stutzman Family - Eight by Grace
You can support this family bringing home baby girl Seble by donating or purchasing a t-shirt.

Erik with a K
You can support this family by donating or entering their raffle.

Want to know more about the plight of children who are considered Special Needs who need to be adopted? Get your heart and your tissues ready and check the No Greater Joy Mom blog, then see what Abba may be calling you to do:
I Left My Heart There
Reckless Abandon
Treasures of Darkness
Sharing my Heart

She also has links to families seeking funding to adopt these little ones who are in desperate need.

You can help support orphans and widows who are building a business and gaining skills to support themselves by purchasing from the Visiting Orphans store.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress" James 1:27

We'll Have Fun Despite the Cold

Well, the coldest early summer in any of our lifetimes didn't slow us down too much. I've uploaded the June and July photos so far:

• June 2010
• July 2010

In June, we took the girls to the Portland Zoo for the first time. It was freezing! I had coats for everyone but me and had to buy a long sleeved shirt. The girls are still talking about the giraffes and elephants. They had fun on the jungle drums, and Anya got a giraffe in her zoo meal that proceeded to pee all over the zoo.

 

   

   

 

Jumping is very popular around here, although sometimes little sister's prowess seems to cause Anya some degree of consternation.

   

 

The Molalla Fourth of July parade was much better this year, and the girls quickly figured out to jump and wave for candy. The were probably most impressed by the horse on top of a trailer, with the fire truck running a close second.

 

Here's the monthly fashion update:

   

 

And Anya's most recent family portrait:

July has finally decided to warm up, so here's a day of pool fun with the Swamp Thing (a.k.a Daddy). You'll also notice something a little different about Sean...yup, he finally shaved his head! I think it looks even better than I thought it would!

   

   

 

 

And lastly, yes, I will still get the videos uploaded to Flickr someday. But now I gotta go, because Willow is tugging on my arm, dressed in a striped onesie and a princess crown, telling me I need to come out into the living room and party hard.

A couple of videos

Springtime in the DB Household

Birthdays, fish faces, CrossFit, fashion and Battlestar Galactica! I have tons of new photos up at Flickr (click here) so you can catch up on what we're doing. I'm attempting to organize all of our videos and get those uploaded as well since Flickr has introduced that features, but, uh, yeah, that's kind of a low priority. I really need to get on it, because with my luck I'll crash a hard drive right before I get them uploaded! :)

• April 2010
• May 2010
• CrossFit Kids

 

The short little sunny spring we had back in April meant it was time for a photo shoot:

     

 

 

Anya dances, tells me stories and cuts paper eerily like paper from the Battlestar Galactica 'verse.

 

Our little fashion diva turns two:

   

  

 

Fish faces are hilarious and trendy sunglasses make the whole outfit:

   

 

A wonderful Mother's Day for this mama with her lovely girls and handsome hubby:

 

  

 

Anya is in the pilot program for CrossFit Kids at CrossFit Salem. Her squats are textbook, but the push ups could use a little work. I love the look on her face when she gets above the bar for her pullup too! The awesome owner/trainer Carol is nice enough to indulge Willow on occasion too - but rubber boots aren't exactly workout wear!

 

 

 

Pretty girls playing in the yard. Anya is wearing her beloved Lightning McQueen shirt, while Willow is rockin' a tutu and skulls. Holy crap, my kids are cute!